


The Ones He Left Behind

by ViimaTheFailcat



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Character Death, Don't copy to another site, Father-Son Relationship, Funerals, Gen, Grief/Mourning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:27:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22451092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ViimaTheFailcat/pseuds/ViimaTheFailcat
Summary: Rose meets up with the Champion he lost to when he was partaking in the Gym Challenge. He just wishes it didn't have to be on the old champion's deathbed.
Relationships: Rose | Chairman Rose & Original Male Character(s)
Kudos: 13





	The Ones He Left Behind

**Author's Note:**

> Character Death tag refers to the OC, jsyk. Canon characters remain unscathed. Unless you count the whole thing where a dear person dies.

Rose approached the hospital bed and the old man lying in it. His hair was so grey that it had started turning white on the temples. His body, once strong and muscular, was now withered with age. His eyes were closed, but if they were open, Rose knew to expect a steel-hard, blue gaze.

Rose sat down beside the bed and cleared his throat. "Mister Tanner?"

No reaction.

Rose tried again, louder. "Mister Tanner?"

An eye cracked open. The colour was exactly the ice-cold blue as Rose had expected, but the gaze behind it was… tired. _Weary_. Listless.

"Sixty-eight years," the old man said, opening his other eye too.

"I'm sorry?" Rose asked.

"Sixty-eight years I've been in Galar," Taisto said, sitting up, "and finally someone pronounces my name right at first try."

"Of course, Mister Tanner," Rose smiles. Tuhn-nehr, with a rolled r, _not_ like the Galarian word "tanner". He respected this man too much to mispronounce his name.

After all, this was Taisto Tanner, one of the ex-champions of Galar. The Champion Rose had lost to, back when he was partaking in the Gym Challenge.

Taisto had been notorious for being an introverted misanthrope who would disappear into the Wild Area for months on end and neglect his champion duties. He only came back to either Motostoke or Hammerlocke to restock on food and coffee. He had to be dragged back for the Champion Cups to defend his title.

Or that was how it _used_ to be. Eventually, Taisto was dethroned and the man disappeared back into the depths of Wild Area. Some people had assumed he had died there. 

Decades had passed when he suddenly appeared at Hammerlocke hospital with a broken leg, just a few days ago. While the fracture was relatively small, Taisto's age would make it very hard to heal. 

It seemed that he would spend the rest of his life in the hospital. The little that was left of it.

Of course Rose had to come see him.

“First of all, sir,” Rose said, “Can I just say that it’s an honour to meet you again.”

Taisto frowned, confused.

“I’m Jaideep Rose. We battled in the Champion Cup,” Rose added with a chuckle, “I-I was just a child back then. I didn’t have a beard.”

Taisto still looked confused.

“I had a Copperajah that I dynamaxed?”

Taisto’s brow finally cleared in recognition. “Jaideep…” He squinted as his eyes roamed Rose’s face. “Ah, yes, I remember you now. Green eyes. Wide smile. Copperajah.”

“Yes. I still have her.”

“Mm. How is see?”

“She’s fine, thank you.”

“Mm. And you?” Taisto’s eyes dipped to Rose’s suit. “What do you do tese days?”

“Me? I’m the chairman of the League.”

“Ah. Yes. I remember tat. Right before I was…” He struggled for a word.

“Dethroned?”

“Yes, tat.”

There was a short silence between them, before Rose cleared his throat. “So since you’re going to be here for a while, is there something I can do to make your time here bearable?”

“Coffee,” Taisto said immediately, without missing a beat. “Bring me coffee.”

Rose couldn’t help but laugh at how fast the answer came from the man who was normally so tight-lipped. “I think I can do that.”

And so Rose started a habit of visiting the hospital every Friday afternoon, with a takeout mug of coffee with a dash of milk, no sugar, like Taisto liked it. 

Taisto didn’t talk much, but Rose quickly learned to read him from what little he did say. Taisto said he missed seeing the sky and nature, so Rose started taking photos of the sky, trees and plants on a small, disposable camera and brought the photos for him. Sometimes Rose could take Taisto outside on a wheelchair to sit in the rare spots of sunshine.

Occasionally, Molybdene Rokwell, Rose’s old boss from the Galar Mines, was already there when Rose visited. Those times were especially fun, because Moly seemed to be the only person who managed to make Taisto laugh and vice-versa.

“I never tought tat company would be so nice,” was all Taisto had to say about it. It was such high praise from him that Rose thought about it for months.

Rose also learned that three members of Taisto's champion team, Bearctic, Gyarados and Corviknight, had already passed away from old age. 

The old man didn't outwardly look sad talking about them, but Rose saw how he lifted his hand to the necklace he was wearing. A simple leather string with two teeth and a claw hanging on it. Beartic and Gyarados' teeth, Corviknight's claw.

"I left teir corpses in te wild," Taisto said, eyes absent.

"Did you bury them?" Rose asked quietly.

"No. Tey feed te earth. Like te earth fed tem." He was quiet for a moment. "I wanted to go like tat too," Taisto said wistfully, "return to te earth were I came from."

"You want to be buried in the wild area?" Rose asked.

"Buried. Spread my ashes in tere. Leave my corpse tere. Watever," Taisto said with a shrug, "It makes no difference to me. I'll be dead."

Rose smiled crookedly. "I'll see what I can do about it."

Rose continued visiting Taisto, every Friday. The number of photos of the sky and plants grew to the point where Rose got a photo album to store them in. Eventually a nurse told him to stop bringing him coffee, so Rose started seeking out sweets from Taisto's home region and bringing them instead. Rose also took the liberty of buying a small CD-player and ordering CDs of tango music from Taisto's region. Taisto seemed to like it.

But still, Taisto's health continued to decline steadily. Rose worried for him, but Taisto himself seemed to be content with it.

"It's my time," he simply said, "Don't be sad for me."

Rose could only smile, sadly. How could he not be? Despite Taisto having been difficult to work with during his time as the Champion, the old man had stolen himself a fond place in Rose's heart. "I can't promise that, but I'll try."

Taisto looked at Rose for a moment. "I don't have a wife, Jaideep," he said slowly, "I don't have any kids. I don't have a family. No one to visit me. But you visit me like you were my son."

Rose stared at him, speechless for a second. "It-it's the least I could do."

A small smile tugged at Taisto's lip. "You have made an old man very happy." He patted Rose's hand.

"I… I'm glad to hear that," Rose whispered, voice suddenly hoarse, eyes stinging.

"Come now," Taisto said, "Don't cry, big man." However, his voice was gentle and gaze soft. He grasped Rose's hand and squeezed.

Rose gave a short, watery laugh, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. "Sorry."

"Jaideep," Taisto said, serious again, "Promise me. When I go, remember tat I am free again. Remember tat and don't be sad."

Rose stared into Taisto's eyes. Light blue, like a serene, frozen lake…

Taisto was right. Nothing sad about a vagabond soul being allowed to wander again. 

Rose nodded and squeezed Taisto's hand.

Taisto nodded also and patted Rose's hand again. He looked at Rose for a while, then reached for his bedside table. He took his sheathed knife and rolled it in his hands. He unsheathed it and inspected the blade. His fingers fit the wooden handle perfectly. Then Taisto sheathed the knife again and with one fluid movement held it out to Rose, handle first. "Here. I want you to have tis."

Rose blinked. "I-I'm sorry?"

"It's a good puukko. You can do almost anyting wit it. You can carve wood and cut food. Wen it dulls, you can sarpen it and use it until te blade is gone."

Rose, still baffled, took the knife. He recognised it as the same knife that Taisto always had with him, even when he was wearing the champion uniform. The handle was darkened with age and so smooth that it was shiny. The sheath was leather, also darkened with age, with a loop at the top for hanging. It was a little curved at the tip and had a tuft of white fur on it. The knife felt sturdy in his hand.

"My grandfater gave it my fater. Ten my fater gave it to me," Taisto said. "Now I give it to you."

Rose looked up at him. Taisto smiled at him.

This time, Rose couldn't stop his tears.

Taisto told him off for crying, but his own eyes were welling up too.

***

A few days later, when Rose was eating breakfast, he got a phone call from the hospital. Taisto had died peacefully in his sleep around four in the morning.

Rose immediately called Oleana and told her to cancel his meetings for that day, then called Moly to tell her the news too. He went to the hospital in a daze.

Moly was already at the hospital when he arrived.

A nurse took them to the mortuary and showed them the body. 

Rose's last look at Taisto. He looked… exhausted. But peaceful. His hair was still messy and he still had a grey stubble.

Moly sighed and smoothed her hand on Taisto’s forehead. She shook her head. “It was his time.”

Rose nodded. “It was.”

"His last wish was to be cremated, right?" the nurse asked, looking through a file.

"Yes," Rose said, not recognising his own voice.

The nurse nodded. "We can do that here, if you want."

"That'd be great," Rose heard himself say.

"It's going to take a few hours, but we'll call you when it's done. Do you want his things?"

Rose nodded and the nurse gave him a cardboard box. The album of the photos Rose had taken for him, the CD player and the CDs Rose had gotten him. His fur-lined leather coat. A belt with six pokeballs on it. Three of them were empty. Three of them had a Runerigus, a Hydreigon and a Flapple in them. The remaining three of Taisto's pokemon. The necklace.

Rose picked it up and turned it in his hands. 

“Whuzzat?” Moly asked.

“Taisto’s necklace...” A fang from his Beartic, a claw from his Corviknight and a tooth from his Gyarados. Taisto had had it on him up until now for a reason.

Rose and Moly exchanged a look. Both nodded.

Moly took the necklace. "Excuse me," she said to the nurse, "could you cremate this with ‘im?" She held out the necklace.

The nurse took it and gave it a look. "Of course."

Rose’s phone rang and he heard himself answer it and talk to Oleana.

"Are you at the hospital?" she asked.

"Yes. Taisto is… being cremated."

"Mm. Have you had lunch?"

"Not yet."

"I'll come pick you up. Then we'll go eat something."

"Okay." 

Rose wasn't hungry.

Nevertheless, Oleana appeared and took him and Moly to a small restaurant for lunch. Rose ate, barely tasting any of his meal.

"Is everything alright?" Oleana asked.

Rose blinked. "Huh?"

"You've barely said anything for the whole time we've been here. Normally you'd praise the decor, the food. Or talk about anything."

"Oh." She was right. Usually it was hard to get Rose to shut up. "I… I'm just… a little… Taisto was…" Rose took a deep breath. "It hasn't sunken in yet."

Oleana nodded. There was a hint of sympathy to her usually expressionless face.

The rest of the day felt unreal. After Rose got the phone call from the hospital that the cremation was done, he, Moly and Oleana returned and collected Taisto.

“Who… who should take him? And his things?” Rose asked, holding Taisto’s remains.

“I think you should,” Moly said, “He gave you his knife.”

“Oh. Oh yeah, that makes sense,” Rose murmured, still dazed.

"Do you have plans for the ashes?" Oleana asked.

Rose nodded. "He wanted them to be returned to the Wild Area."

Oleana raised an eyebrow at the choice of words, but didn't comment on it. "Where there, exactly?"

Rose blinked. That had never come up. Taisto had mentioned many places in the wilderness, but nothing about his favourite place. "I… I'll have to think about it."

“Let me know when you figure it out,” Moly said.

Rose nodded. "I will."

Oleana gave him a long look. "Sir… If you need to talk, I'll be here."

Rose smiled, sadly. "I know. Thank you."

Oleana nodded. "Will you be working tomorrow?"

"Yes," Rose said without thinking.

Oleana nodded again.

With that, Rose, Oleana and Moly went to their respective homes.

***

Rose set Taisto on his coffee table and got his laptop, opening a map of the Wild Area. Where would be the best place to set him free? Dusty Bowl? Watchtower Ruins? Giant's Seat? One of the lakes? Taisto did talk about the lakes a lot. _Had_ talked.

"Where would you like to rest?" Rose asked Taisto.

The urn didn't answer.

It sank in, all at once. Taisto was gone. He was gone and Rose would never see him again, never talk to him again. He no longer had a reason to take photos of the sky or buy foreign sweets.

Rose's vision blurred with tears as he closed his laptop, setting it on the coffee table, next to Taisto's urn.

***

It took Rose a few days to decide where Taisto's final resting place would be. He rented a car to get there because he only had one day for the funeral. Even if he was mourning, his job was still busy.

Oleana and Moly offered to come along, which Rose gladly accepted.

"Are you wearing his coat?" Moly asked as they were walking to the rented car.

"Yes," Rose smiled crookedly, "I thought it'd be... appropriate to wear it." Even if it didn't fit him right and it smelled… bad, it was surprisingly comfortable and warm.

The three drove off to the wild area in silence that was only broken by old tango, one of the CDs Rose had gotten for Taisto. Taisto's urn and pokeball belt were in the backseat of the car.

Halfway into the second song, Moly speaks up. "I take it you've decided where to leave him?"

"Yes," Rose said, "Giant's Seat." It was remote and had a lake nearby. He hoped Taisto would like it.

Oleana hummed. "What about his pokemon?"

"I thought I'd let them decide for themselves."

Oleana nodded.

They fell back to tango-filled silence.

Eventually, they arrived and got out of the car. Oleana sprayed them all down with a Max Repel. Rose hadn't even thought of bringing one. Good thing she came along.

Rose got Taisto and his belt from the backseat.

Rose looked around, before starting to walk towards the lake. Oleana and Moly followed him quietly and patiently as he wandered aimlessly, trying to find a spot that felt Right.

Soon he found a comfortable crook with some trees that gave shade, close to the lake to go for a swim but not close enough to have sand in the tent. Perfect place for a camp.

"This looks nice, doesn't it?" Rose asked.

“Sure does,” Moly said.

Oleana just nodded.

Rose nodded also and released Runerigus, Hydreigon and Flapple and his own Copperajah that he had brought along. He assumed that they also would want to be there for the funeral.

Good heavens. Rose hadn't seen Taisto's pokemon in ages. Now that he saw them up close, he saw how weathered, battered and… _old_ they all looked.

Rose offered them a thin smile. "Ready?"

The three pokemon nodded.

Rose nodded and took a breath, patting the top of the urn. "Alright. We, uh. We're gathered here today for… a special occasion. A sad, but a special one. We're here to say our last goodbyes to… a dear trainer, a role model and a friend." Rose swallowed. "While I do admit that sometimes Taisto was… rather difficult to work with when he was the Champion," he huffed a laugh, "he was… unique. Unparalleled. Sturdy and stubborn. He wouldn't back down from something he set out to do, no matter how hard it proved to be. He was a… calm and steady presence to be around."

Rose fell silent, gently patting the top of the urn again. He cleared his throat. "Moly? Do you want to say a word or two?"

Moly shook her head. Her jaw was clenched tight and lips pinched in a straight line.

Rose looked to Oleana. “Oleana?”

Oleana straightened her posture. "Taisto was a man of few words, but the little he did speak was always on point," she said.

Rose smiled. She was right. "What about you three?"

Runerigus drew its pieces together. Hydreigon hung its heads. Flapple rolled into a ball. They didn't seem to have anything to say.

"Alright," Rose said, then took another deep breath. "In the hospital, Taisto said… He said that he would be free, now."

Rose opened the urn and let the ashes fall. The wind picked up and whisked the ashes with it, blowing them towards the lake.

"Be free, Taisto," Rose whispered, voice breaking. He watched the ashes spread until they were gone, indistinguishable. Returned to the earth.

The vagabond soul had gone back to wandering.

Rose let out a shuddering sigh. Nothing sad about this.

He heard shuffling next to him. The Runerigus, Hydreigon and Flapple were making their leave. Rose watched them walk off, into the wild. Of course they would stay here, wander like their trainer did.

Rose looked to the lake once more, as if he’d somehow still catch a glimpse of… what, the ashes? Taisto himself? 

… Whatever he was hoping for, it didn’t show. 

Taisto said he’d be free now, but it didn’t change the fact that he was gone. Rose would still miss visiting him every Friday. Taking photos of the sky for him. Talking to him. His quiet and gruff exterior. Rose would miss _him_.

“Sir?” Oleana asked, gently.

Rose snapped out of his reverie, blinking rapidly. “Yeah. Yeah. Let’s go.”

Oleana didn’t move. “Is everything okay?”

"Yes, I-" Rose blinked more, just now noticing how wet his cheeks were. Ah. He was crying again.

Oleana held out a handkerchief to him.

Rose accepted it, attempting a laugh, but it came out sounding more like a sob. “I-I’m sorry, I just…”

“Don’t apologize,” Oleana said gently, her hand on Rose’s shoulder.

  
“C’mere, son,” Moly said, pulling Rose into a hug.

Before he knew it, Rose ended up sobbing into Moly’s shoulder. Moly patiently held him through it. Oleana rubbed his back without a word.

Eventually, Rose’s sobs died down and he pulled away from Moly. “Thank you,” he said with a hoarse voice.

Moly just nodded.

“Shall we get going?” Oleana asked.

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

“You two go ahead,” Moly said, voice rough, “I’ll catch up.”

Ah, so Moly wanted to share her last words for Taisto alone. Understandable.

Rose and Oleana started walking back to the car. Oleana gently took the car keys from Rose as they walked.

They arrived at the car and Oleana sat on the driver’s seat. Rose leaned on the car and furrowed into the fur-lined coat.

The Wild Area was peaceful, only the sound of wind in the trees and distant pokemon cries breaking the silence. Sun was gently shining down, warming the area.

Rose didn’t know how long it took, but eventually Moly returned. Rose pretended he didn’t notice her bloodshot eyes and tear-streaked cheeks.

The three returned to Hammerlocke. No one feels like talking, so melancholic foreign tango was the only sound again. They arrived safely and decide to head to a pub for drinks and reminiscence.

“Do you think he was happy?” Rose asked, nursing his drink.

Moly sighed. “With his life? I think so. He might not have loved having to spend the last of it in a hospital, but I think he was happy, overall.”

Rose nodded. “Good to know.”

Moly sipped her drink. “He talked about you a lot. He seemed to be happy to have gotten to know you.”

Rose smiled down at his drink. _Don’t cry again, don’t cry again, don’t cry again…_ “I was happy to have known him too. He was… When I met him, I was a child, you know? Back when I was in the gym challenge.”

Oleana’s face didn’t change, but there was something in her posture that indicated that she was listening intently.

“Honestly, he was kind of scary, to a child,” Rose continued, “Tall man, eyes like ice, a deep frown, knife on his belt, Bearctic by his side… But when I battled him, he… was so calm. Even when he appeared to be cornered, he didn’t seem bothered, like he had complete faith in his pokemon.” Rose leaned back, immersed in the memories. “When I shook his hand, he patted my head and said I did well."

Moly smiled. "Did I ever tell you how I got the endorsement letter from him?"

"You told me that he endorsed you but nothing beyond that," Rose said.

Moly's smile widened to a grin. "Oh, you're in for a treat, then.”

She started talking. She told Rose and Oleana about meeting Taisto in the wilderness by chance. She had immediately recognised him as the champion and asked for an endorsement letter. He had immediately refused and tried to leave. Moly had grabbed on to him and insisted. She had told him that she hadn’t gotten an endorsement anywhere because everyone kept denying her out of transphobia.

That had made Taisto pause. Moly said that he didn’t even know what transphobia is but he had given her his endorsement anyway, out of spite.

“The faces on the registry people were _priceless_ ,” Moly smiled.

From there on, most of their conversation was about fond memories of Taisto.

When Rose returned home, he got out one of the binders from his collection of league cards. Specifically, the binder where he knew Taisto's cards to be. These days, Taisto's card was rather hard to find these days because there was only one run printed back in the day and people didn't really bother saving his cards due to him being… less than popular during his time as the champion. Despite the rarity, they sold cheap.

Rose had three copies, all signed.

It was a simple card, just a picture of Taisto when he was younger, hair still blonde, wearing his trademark fur-lined leather coat and aviator shades instead of eyeglasses. He was looking at the camera, looking slightly bored. No shiny holographic coat.

Carefully, Rose took one of the cards out of its sleeve and turned it around.

_A man of few words, Taisto is a notorious misandrist who loves the great outdoors. One brave reporter wandered into the Wild Area to interview him and had a hard time wrenching answers out of him. What we have learned, however, is that Taisto hails from a region northeast of Galar and that his Bearctic came with him. He speaks fondly of his home region, but doesn’t seem to be in a rush to go back. “It’s cold up there. I prefer it here,” was all he said about it._

Rose smiled sadly and slipped the card back into its place. 

Maybe that was just a part of remembering him, the pang of sadness that came even with the good memories. Maybe one day, he could think about him without feeling it. Maybe one day, he would find other ways to spend his Fridays. Maybe one day, he could look at the sky without feeling the need to take a photo of it.

But for now, all he could do was just let himself have his feelings, let himself mourn.

For now, he and Moly were the ones left behind by the vagabond soul.


End file.
